Kame Carnival
by VegebulsAreOneOfYourFive-a-day
Summary: Bulma visits the Carnival for the first time in her life. The sights and sounds are amazing, and the acts are mesmerizing, but surely they are a little too good at what they do to just be mere performers. Kame Carnival is where shunned beings go when there is nowhere else to turn, Master Roshi welcomes all. Even an heiress who is an outcast in her own social class.
1. Kame Carnival

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story, nor make any money from it.**

The lights and sights were mesmerizing. Bulma clung to her escort's arm, clutching his muscular bicep through the light linen fabric of his summer suit. The weather was mild, the light breeze wafting the sweet aroma of the carnival delicacies in the couple's direction as they leisurely strolled along the lit walkway which led to the carnival entrance. The words _Kame Carnival_ proudly displayed above.

The path had been lined with string lights and posters displaying some of the acts they would be seeing this evening, Bulma marvelled at the colourful prints. Amongst the depictions there were: trapeze artists, jugglers, contortionists, a strong man, a fortune teller and even an illusionist. Bulma's eyes lingered on the last print; it contrasted greatly from the others. Where they were vibrant and full of colour, the illusionist's profile was dark and rather ominous. He had been painted looking directly out at the audience, his form shrouded in shadow. He did not look like a pleasant man; his heavy scowl darkened his face and his inky, upswept hair gave a jagged edge to his demeanour. His right hand was raised and in it he held a ball of blue light, which hovered above his palm. The blue highlighted the contours of his face making him look even more severe.

Bulma pulled her eyes away from the poster as they had reached the ticket booth at the end of the walkway. She watched as Yamcha handed over their entry fee to the elderly gentleman manning the booth. The man gave them both a warm smile as he slid their entry tickets through the small slot in the glass and wished them a good evening. Bulma was practically bouncing on her tip toes with excitement. She had never been to a carnival before. It wasn't that she had never wanted to go to one; she just had never had the time. From a very young age she had taken an interest in inventing things just like her father, and had begun to work in his lab whenever she was not studying. Although she had not been a sheltered child, very far from it actually, a carnival was one thing she had yet to experience, and she would make up for lost time tonight. She planned to see everything there was to see, and taste everything there was to taste.

Stepping into the hustle and bustle of the carnival grounds, Bulma let go of Yamcha's arm to rush forward and spin around in a circle, taking in the unfamiliar sights that greeted her. There were stalls housing games of chance, operated by an array of colourful characters shouting at the top of their lungs, beckoning passers-by to come and have a go. Food stands were mixed in amongst the stalls, displaying sweet treats and savoury, salty delights. The smells were enough to make Bulma lick her lips. In the distance a Ferris wheel could be seen rotating at an unhurried pace as patrons rode in the cars, laughing and admiring the sights below.

There was a carousel blaring a jaunty tune as it rotated, the gaudy fiberglass horses bobbing up and down carrying happy children and adults alike. But the sight that stood out amongst the glittering attractions and busy stalls was the pink and white striped big top at the centre of it all. The turreted structure stretched towards the sky, a large, white flag at its tip flapping easily in the breeze.

Feeling a hand wrap around her elbow, Bulma was pulled back to Yamcha's side. "Don't stray too far, my dear. This place is full of unsavoury characters". Bulma fought the urge to roll her eyes at his comment, but did look up at him with a slight frown. "These carnival folk are notorious thieves and swindlers. Keep your wits about you", Yamcha added with a distasteful curl of his lip.

Deciding to ignore what Yamcha had just said, Bulma pulled him through the throng of people, marvelling at the entertainers who mingled amongst the crowd. A man on stilts towered above them, his costume a garish mix of orange and blue, and his face heavily decorated with thick greasepaint. A shiny red nose sat in the middle of his face, attached by a piece of string which tied behind his head. When he noticed Bulma looking up at him, he removed the worn looking bowler hat he wore, revealing a bald head, and tipped it in her direction as he bowed. Bulma's smile widened.

As the stilt walker straightened, he returned his hat to his head and reached a hand into the inside pocket of his orange and blue striped blazer. He rummaged for a few seconds as Bulma watched on with anticipation. His wide painted smile lifted at the corners as he found what he was looking for and began to pull it free from the confines of his jacket. At first a red hanky appeared followed by a blue one and then a yellow one. The scraps of tied material kept coming and Bulma let out a chuckle at the clown's bemused look on his face. All the while Yamcha stood by her side, his arms crossed over his chest, unimpressed by the performer's antics.

The rope of scarves finally came to an end and the man gave an exaggerated wipe of his brow to show his relief. Attached to the end of the scarves was a paper flower, which the man untied and bent down to hand to Bulma. She took the delicate object marvelling at the fact it had not been damaged as it was pulled from his pocket. It was a well put together representation of a carnation, the thin petals had been dyed a vibrant blue that was almost the same shade as her hair. Bulma looked to the performer as she twisted the wire stem between her thumb and forefinger.

"Thank you so much", she said causing the man to smile brightly. With a nod of his head he straightened and made his way through the crowd to entertain some more carnival goers.

"Look, Yamcha", Bulma said turning to face him as she held out the flower in front of her. He gave the object a quick glance, the disinterest evident in his eyes.

"Yes, very pretty", he replied, unfolding his arms and offering his hand to her.

Bulma quickly tucked the flower into her hair, just above her right ear. She was sure the blue blossom was camouflaged by her cerulean strands, but she had nowhere else to keep it for the moment without fear of damaging it. Yamcha watched the act and found it uncouth. If he had his way, he would have discarded the damn thing already, but he did not want to upset Bulma by taking away something which clearly entertained her. No matter how pointless that item was.

She took his hand and they found themselves strolling from stall to stall, partaking in a number of games in an attempt to win prizes. They had just reached the ring toss when Yamcha had decided he had had enough of playing the almost unwinnable games. He paid just for Bulma to have a turn and stood back to watch her as she flung the plastic rings in an attempt to hook them over the empty bottles.

Yamcha was a lucky man; Bulma was a true beauty. Although she was considered 'new money' and did not rank very high in the social scale of things, she was a highly sort after commodity amongst the upper classes. She had a brilliant mind, thanks to her father. And she was stunning, thanks to her mother. The Briefs were not seen as a conventionally desirable family to be associated with, but they were extremely wealthy, and would only get richer as time went on.

Mr. Briefs was an inventor. He had been seen as a bit of a laughing stock amongst his peers whilst growing up, as he always came up with ideas for inventions that nobody could fully comprehend. In his younger years he had found it hard to get work in his field as no one wished to hire someone that the scientific community had labelled a mad man. So, Mr. Briefs had settled for a meagre paying job of building automatons for theatre and screen productions. That was when he met Panchy, his wife. She had been a film star who went by just the name Bunny in her active years, she was a blonde bombshell, and often played the ditzy lead in many films. She was famous for prancing around on stage and screen in barely-there costumes and had gotten a name for herself. According to many men she had been the nation's sweetheart at one point, but their wives would certainly disagree.

It had been a massive scandal when Bunny had eloped with a lowly stage production member, who was working on one of her films at the time. Soon after they had married, Mrs. Briefs invested a vast amount of her fortune into her new husband's business venture, which was now known internationally as Capsule Corporation.

Bulma was the sole heiress to a very affluent company. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing the distinctive Capsule Corp. logo printed on the side of a piece of machinery. Even Yamcha's beloved sports automobile was a Capsule Corp. creation.

Watching the woman he was currently courting laugh and enjoy herself bought a smile to Yamcha's face. His mother had been against the notion of bringing Bulma into their family due to her poor breeding as she had put it, but his father had insisted it would be beneficial to be associated with the Briefs and his mother had reluctantly relented. Yamcha just liked Bulma, she was rough around the edges, but he would mould her into the perfect high-society wife.

He watched as the carnival worker running the stall interacted with Bulma. She had managed to hook two hoops onto the bottles but the third ring had been a miss. The stall holder offered her an easy smile and gave her another go, free of charge. Yamcha frowned at the man's obvious interest, but perked up at Bulma's indifference to his attraction as she enjoyed herself.

Bulma managed to hook all three rings this time and let out a squeal of excitement as she bounced on the spot. The vendor congratulated her and showed her the choice of prizes to choose from. Bulma chose a small stuffed monkey. She thanked the man and turned to re-join Yamcha, who commended her on her win as they set off again. Bulma held the toy monkey in her hand, the long tail snuggly wrapped around her wrist.

Loud music began to play from the large circus tent at the centre of the fair and a voice bellowed, "Roll up, roll up", over a bullhorn. It was time for the main show to start and the crowds were beginning to move towards the large entrance of the tent, filtering in through the flaps to find their seats. Bulma and Yamcha managed to get ringside seats. They procured some popcorn from a passing snack vendor and sat back waiting for the show to begin. Once the crowd was fully seated, the lights dimmed, leaving only the circle illuminated.

That was when the ringmaster appeared. He was a short man, hunched over and walking with a cane. He had a white beard and wore thick glasses, indicating he was far beyond his prime. The walk to centre stage seemed to be doing a number on him alone, his slow shuffle suggesting it was time he possibly gave up the position of ringmaster.

Yamcha leaned over and whispered, "Can't the man move any faster?" with a snort.

Bulma kept her eyes on the elderly man. Once he had reached his destination it was like a new lease of life had shot through the old man's bones.

"Welcome to Kame Carnival!" He bellowed louder than anticipated. "You may call me Master Roshi, and boy do I have a treat for you this evening. I hope you enjoy". With that simple proclamation, the man threw something to the ground covered in sand. When the small object made impact with the hard floor a large cloud of pink smoke erupted, enveloping the ringmaster. When it had cleared he was gone. This earned a collective gasp from the audience followed by a round of clapping.

Bulma watched intrigued as the lights dimmed further and three spotlights switched on, aimed directly above. Three figures descended from overhead, dancing their way down large white sashes suspended from the structure above. They moved as effortlessly as a trio of spiders, abseiling down their own silk. They twisted and turned, flipping this way and that. The audience oohed and aahed as they marvelled at their acrobatic skill and fearlessness.

The act consisted of two women and a man, all dressed in matching costumes of white spandex decorated with silver accents. Once they had finished their routine, they planted their feet on the ground standing in a line; in the middle stood the shortest of the three. It was a woman with jet black hair which had been piled atop her head in a severe bun. She was petite, but deceivingly strong if the way she held her body up on the silk was anything to go by.

On either side of her stood two beings that were very similar in facial features. They were taller than the acrobat in the middle, but they were also slender. Both had piercing blue eyes, but the female was blonde while the male had black hair. They were clearly siblings, and judging by how similar they looked, possibly twins. The three performers held hands as they all simultaneously took a bow. They turned around and gave another bow to the rest of the audience their backs had previously been facing, all the while receiving a round of applause and a few wolf whistles.

The performers exited the circle by wrapping an arm in the silks they had used to descend, before the lengthy material was hoisted back up by unseen stage hands in the rafters. The material was retracted with ease, carrying the trio up and out of sight fluidly. Once they had disappeared completely from view, Bulma turned to Yamcha, he seemed just as mesmerized as her. Reaching a hand over, she grasped his and gave it a squeeze. She was glad he had brought her here tonight. She was excited to see all of the other acts still to come.


	2. The Illusionist

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story, nor make any money from it.**

The show continued with spectacular flair. One act had been a myriad of clowns rushing in and clumsily performing supposedly ill planned tricks, accompanied by a honky-tonk tune played on a concealed piano. They tripped and stumbled, 'making fools of themselves', as Yamcha had put it, but Bulma found them very entertaining. So much so, she even let out an involuntary snort as she laughed. This earned an unimpressed sideways glance from Yamcha.

At his disapproving glance, Bulma sobered. She had been questioning why she was still courting Yamcha lately. He was a complete elitist, often making unfair remarks against the lower classes. He even criticized Bulma a fair bit for her 'new money' ways.

Yamcha's family came from old money; they had stumbled upon their wealth rather than worked for it. It had been six generations since the Ocha family had unearthed the tiny cluster of gems, known as dragon spheres, from their paltry piece of land located in the boonies. The exceptionally rare stones were an oddity. They formed in clusters of seven spheres inside geodes with a hollow centre, the outside unassuming, but the inside stunning. The spheres were bright amber with flecks of red running through them. Many who had seen them said the flecks resembled stars, and Bulma would have to agree.

The Ocha family had been lucky enough to find three geodes containing three full sets of dragon spheres. This discovery had kick started their assent in the logistics industry and had moved the family out of the sticks and into the very heart of West City.

In truth, Yamcha had been the best of a bad bunch once the suitors had come calling. He had been the youngest to show interest, being only two years her senior, the eldest of the admirers already being in his mid-fifties at the time. She was glad her father had simply offered the man a glass of whisky and soon after sent him on his way without so much as an audience with Bulma. As soon as she had turned eighteen, it had seemed as if the usually socially shunned Briefs family had suddenly come into existence for the first time. Now at the age of twenty, she had been courting the man beside her for just over a year and a half, and she had no doubt that he would be proposing soon. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about marriage.

Bulma pulled her thoughts away from her current predicament and turned her attention back to the ring; the clowns had finished their act. As they exited, Bulma watched as two figures from opposite sides of the ring performed back flips into the centre. They stopped when they came back to back, each raising an arm to pose for the crowd. Bulma noticed the duo were the twins from the first act. The piano tempo changed, speeding up as a large see-through box was wheeled out from the side-line.

With help from her brother to climbed up and over the edge of the box, the crowd watched in astonishment as the blonde bent backwards, bringing her head back round to peer between her legs. There were murmurs of disbelief, and Bulma saw an elderly lady to her left actually faint for a handful of seconds before coming to, only to faint again when she witnessed the performer flatten herself to the base of the cube, one slippered foot on either side of her ears.

Her brother was next to climb into the box, careful not to step on his sister. He just as easily folded himself into an unimaginable position and squeezed into the box with ease. The case was large by normal standards, but it did not look big enough to fit two fully grown adults into it. Bulma turned to Yamcha with a smile, pleased to see his eyebrows raised in shock and the corner of his mouth quirked up into an impressed smirk. At least he was relaxing and beginning to enjoy the evening, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Yamcha bought their joined hands to his lips and placed a delicate kiss on the back of Bulma's, before lowering them to rest on his thigh.

The two contortionists continued their act by squeezing into even tighter spaces, as well as contorting their bodies whilst performing highly dangerous stunts, like shooting an apple off of each other's heads with a bow and arrow, using their feet to fire the weapon no less. The procession of entertainers continued, only interrupted now and then as the Ringmaster known as Master Roshi would make an appearance to engage the audience and rile them up for the next act to perform.

There was a fire breather who juggled his flaming batons like it was the most natural hobby in the world. He would then blow the flames until they extended out before him, often changing to colours a flame could never naturally obtain. Bulma was sure the flared flames had even formed shapes which seemed to move of their own accord. But flames often played tricks on the human eye, so Bulma shrugged it off. In truth, she was more impressed that the fire breather had refrained from setting his copious amount of thick, black hair atop his head alight.

He was followed by a strong man, who had been billed as being able to lift one hundred times his own weight, a slight exaggeration Bulma was sure. And then a pair of trapeze artists who exuded chemistry as they swung through the air at death-defying heights, trusting one another with their lives as they caught each other in mid-air.

Then there was a large, pink blob of a man who seemed to be able to swallow anything in sight. He had started with marbles, the crowd rather disappointed at first, but then he had moved onto billiard balls, before a bowling ball followed. There were hushed whispers amongst the mostly silent crowd, speculating that it was physically impossible to ingest such things, but the pink man kept going. He swallowed a number of ornate looking swords, but unlike the previous items these sharp instruments were extracted from his mouth and planted in the sand at his feet when he had done. The next item to be brought out rendered the whispering members of the audience to quiet.

A small bicycle was brought to the man by an assistant. The crowd remained silent and rather disturbed as they watched the man lower the mode of transport into his mouth. _He must be able to dislocate his lower jaw to get it to open that wide_ , Bulma tried to justify in her thoughts, but deep down she wondered if the pink man was some kind of monster masquerading as a circus act. Once the bicycle had been devoured the man took a bow and upon straightening opened his mouth, patted his belly and in response the bicycle bell chimed twice. The crowd broke out into fits of laughter, standing from their seats they applauded as the human blob sauntered off to the side as if he had just eaten a light lunch.

"What a foul beast", Yamcha said with a laugh as he applauded the gluttonous being.

More acts followed and the evening grew later and before Bulma knew it, it was time for the final performance. The music struck up a mysterious tone as the lights slowly dimmed until the tent was plunged into pitch blackness.

A ball of blue light appeared at the centre of the ring, seemingly hovering there on its own, but then it began to move back and forth, as if being thrown from hand to hand before it split into two. The ball kept duplicating until there were seven equally sized spheres. They floated in a circle before shooting out into different directions, causing some audience members to gasp and duck as if the objects would collide with them; but the orbs drifted and settled into lamps situated around the circular structure. Once they had reached their destination they brightened, illuminating the inside of the tent in an eerie blue hue. The man standing in the centre of the stage was now in full view and Bulma knew instantly who he was. He was the illusionist she had seen on the illustration at the entrance of the fair. He was just as cold and foreboding in person as he had been on his poster, and Bulma felt herself instinctively shift closer to Yamcha, as if he could offer some kind of protection.

Despite being an imposing figure, the illusionist was good at what he did. He had the crowd on the edge of their seats as he produced more of those balls of light and manipulated them. He had even shot a stream of light out of the palm of his hand which rose into the air and shifted into the form of a dragon. It coiled around itself and emitted steam from its nostrils before rushing towards the crowd with its jaws stretched wide and sharp teeth on full display for all to see. The crowd screamed and clambered for escape, but before the beast could reach them it dissipated and in its wake left what looked like fine pieces of white glitter raining down on them. Many gave nervous laughs and returned to their seats. Bulma noticed the crowds screams had caused the illusionist's lips to pull up at the corner in a slight smirk. Although his features were still severe, it eased his stoniness just a little.

An assistant sauntered out to stand beside the man, her blond hair piled high on her head and her sparkly show outfit barely containing her ample assets. Yamcha shifted in his seat beside her and cleared his throat as he kept his eyes on the assistant. Bulma frowned and released the hand she had been holding, bringing it to toy with the long tail of her toy monkey which sat in her lap.

Whipping his hand around in the air the illusionist produced a crimson sheet out of thin air and proceeded to unceremoniously throw it over his assistant's head. Raising his hand into the air he clicked his fingers, causing a spark to shoot from their tips and disappear before he reached for the sheet again and began to pull it off. The material seemed never ending compared to the size it had been when it had first been placed over the assistant, and as it was pulled away, it was as if the figure concealed below grew larger and larger.

Once the sheet was fully removed, the assistant no longer stood beneath it, instead there was a fully grown elephant. The animal raised itself up onto its hind legs and lifted its trunk into the air and gave a loud trumpet. Once the animal had settled back down, the sheet floated up into the air, stretching out and covered the elephant. This time when it was removed a lion sat in its place, roaring and shaking its giant mane. The large cat was covered also and when the material, which had magically returned to its original size, was pulled away for the last time, the assistant was back, this time dressed in a furry ensemble, the orange and black stripes imitating a tiger's coat. She even had a little pair of ears perched on top of her head. Raising a hand she extended it towards the crowd and let out growl, earning a number of laughs from mainly the men amongst the audience, including a chuckle from Yamcha. Bulma was too busy concentrating on the illusionist. She had to hold back a smile when she saw him roll his eyes and cross his arms over his chest.

Taking the crimson sheet that had been used to cover her; the assistant exited blowing kisses and waving as she went.

The illusionist had now raised his feet off of the ground and was hovering above the dusty floor. His arms were still crossed and he bought his legs up to also cross them. Closing his eyes he began to rotate. He looked as if he were meditating; the only difference being that he was spinning in mid-air, the tip of his flame like hair almost brushing the ground as he turned in full circles. The crowd was awed and many leaned forward to get a closer look. There were whispers of the use of fine strings supporting the man's body, but they were quickly rebuffed with questions on how they had manage to stay untangled if he was in fact suspended on wire. The blue orbs that were illuminating the room suddenly shot out of the lanterns that housed them and towards the illusionist, extinguishing before they could make impact, plunging the arena into darkness once again. When the lights came up, in the illusionist's place stood Mater Roshi, his cane clutched in his hands before him.

The crowd applauded, even louder than they had when they had witnessed the man eating a bicycle. Master Roshi beamed from ear to ear; pleased the opening night of his show had been such a success. Once the crowd had quieted down Master Roshi thanked them for coming, told them to enjoy the many attractions on offer and wished them a good night before producing another one of his smoke bombs and disappearing in the thick fog.

The audience began to leave their seats, filtering out of the stands and towards the exit. Bulma and Yamcha stepped out of the tent and into the mild evening air. Many families with young children were making their way to the exit of the carnival, but numerous adults remained, mingling amongst the attractions.

"What did you think of the show?" Bulma asked Yamcha looking up at him expectantly.

"It was fine. That pink blob will haunt me for the rest of my life I think". Yamcha grimaced and shook his head as if trying to shake the memory from his mind. Bulma let out a little laugh and wound her arm through Yamcha's.

"Where to now, my dear?" He asked her, looking down into her large blue eyes. The moon was reflected within and not for the first time this evening he found himself marvelling at her beauty.

"How about The Hall of Wonders?" Bulma asked inclining her head towards the attraction ahead. Yamcha nodded and lead the way.


	3. Down by the River

The Hall of Wonders was just that. It was full of oddities; objects and humans alike. Yamcha had shown little interest in the items on display to the public, but Bulma on the other hand was fascinated. A number of taxidermy animals lined the room including: a crow with two sets of wings, a jackalope, an odd creature whose plaque claimed it was a mermaid, and a strange blue cat which was seated in an upright position and stared off into the distance.

The skeletal remains of the largest fish Bulma had ever seen were suspended overhead. It was easily bigger than a car and its teeth were viciously sharp. The bones had been angled in a way so that the observer below could get a good look at the jagged spikes through the gaping jaw bones.

There was also an extensive collection of skulls on display in a cabinet against the far wall. Many were of odd shapes, almost alien in appearance, but a number of them were human, displaying medical deformities; such as extra rows of teeth nestled in the jaw, or abnormal growth on the cranium. One even had extra bone growth which resembled a pair of horns jutting up from the top.

Bulma walked around the displays eyeing everything and reading every plaque to gain information on the oddities as she went. She was so engrossed; she hadn't noticed that Yamcha had slipped through the curtain which separated the inanimate objects on display in this room from the living beings in the next.

She paused when she came to stand in front of a spherical pod. It was battered and the dome shaped window at the front sported a large crack running up its centre. The plaque declared it to be a ' _Space fairing vehicle'_ , which had fallen from the sky and crash landed here on Earth.

Leaning forward, Bulma cupped her hands against the glass and peered in to the pod, gasping when she saw a single seat within. It was a confining space with very little room to move around. As she observed the interior, Bulma felt something soft brush the back of her hand. She gave a yelp and jumped back only to see a blue cat lounging on top of the supposed spacecraft. The cat was clearly the same one who had been sitting amongst the taxidermy animals, but Bulma looked over her shoulder just to confirm it. Where the cat had been sitting previously was very much vacant.

"You scared me", she said turning back to the cat and placing her hands on her hips. The cat's tail swayed from side-to-side as it watched her lazily.

"I bet you've frightened the crap out of so many people by doing that". She approached the animal, wondering why it had chosen to hang out in the Hall of Wonders. But then again, it was an oddity in its own right. It was very rare to find an animal with blue fur, much like her own uncommon blue hair, which was a trait that very few people naturally possessed.

Reaching a hand out, she extended a finger and scratched the feline below its chin, earning a pleased purr as the animal closed its eyes and lent into her touch.

"Bulma, come look", she heard Yamcha call from the adjoining room, his tone reflecting the most enthusiasm she had heard from him all night.

Moving her hand to give the cat a quick scratch behind the ear, she bid it goodbye and turned to leave the room. When she reached the dividing curtain, she could have sworn she heard a soft voice whisper, "Bye, pretty lady". She paused and turned back to look at the cat, who had settled its head down on its front paws and looked as if it was already dozing off. Bulma shook her head and went to join Yamcha.

Bulma found Yamcha with his face pressed up against the display glass of an exhibit, gawking at the living inhabitant within. When she moved to stand beside him, what she saw almost took her breath away. There wasn't just one inhabitant in the room, there were two. One was a blunette, the shade of her hair much darker than Bulma's; the other a blond. Both women wore a red ribbon tied in their hair. The reason these two women had been put on display was because they were joined together at the hip. They were conjoined twins.

The blond twin appeared to be surly; a stark contrast to the bluenette who smiled pleasantly in their direction and even gave them a wave. Bulma returned the smile and waved back, unsure how she felt about them being on display like this. They wore matching dresses, the blond looking slightly uncomfortable in the garment, while the blunette patted down the flared skirt to make sure it looked pristine. The material met in the middle where the women were joined, sewn together expertly to accommodate their conjoined bodies, and to provide them with proper coverage.

Yamcha moved to the next display and almost jumped out of his expensive, pressed suit when an almighty roar was emitted by whoever was housed within. Bulma watched the blonde twin laugh out loud and bawdily, while the bluenette covered her mouth to hide her more demure titter.

Bulma moved along to see what had startled Yamcha; she wasn't surprised he had jumped when she saw who was in the next exhibit. The man inside was massive, even bigger than the strong man they had seen perform earlier. It wasn't only the man's size alone that made him seem so scary; it was the fact he was tattooed from head to toe with colourful images. He wore only a pair of briefs to showcase the majority of the inking; the only other article he wore was a helmet with horns protruding from the sides, akin to a Viking's helmet. The mass of bushy wild facial hair he sported and black kohl he wore around his eyes only made him seem even more intimidating. He growled at them as they moved along only quieting down when they had fully passed him by.

Next to be seen were a small group of green men. They lounged around on comfy looking chairs, uninterested in the patrons who had paid to see them.

"They must dye their skin", Yamcha said absently as he eyed the males within. He had heard that when dying large amounts of fabric in vats, many of the workers would end up with stained skin from whichever coloured dye they had been using that day. It was the only logical reason as to how the beings could be such a vibrant shade. And the small antennas atop their heads and the pointy ears were clearly prosthetics.

The inhabitant of the next room surprised Bulma. It was Master Roshi himself, the Ringmaster and owner of the circus. From the waist up the old man was bare; he still clutched his cane in his hands, using it for support. Bulma could now see why he walked hunched over slightly. Spanning the entirety of his back was a growth of abnormal skin, giving the appearance of a turtle shell on his back. Yamcha openly grimaced at the old man, but judging by his relaxed, unfazed features he was use to that reaction.

Bulma's observation of Master Roshi was cut short when a group of young men entered The Hall of Wonders, loud and clearly intoxicated if the drinks clutched in their hands were anything to go by. Yamcha instantly looked up to see who had entered and his face lit up. Bulma groaned at the sight of the approaching males.

It was a group of Yamcha's high society chums who Bulma had come to call The Bawdy Boys. They were drunk more often than not; they lacked basic decorum, which did not make sense considering they constantly boasted about being highly educated. And they always seemed to lead Yamcha astray.

"Yamcha!" one of them bellowed rushing forward to greet his friend, his drink sloshing and leaving a trail of droplets in his wake.

"Baron", Yamcha greeted an octave or two quieter. The other two came over to join in, Bulma standing off to the side on her own. As if as an afterthought, Yamcha turned to her, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her to his side.

"Oh, little Bulma, I didn't see you there", Baron, the groups ring leader said giving her a dumb smile before sipping at his drink.

Bulma squared her shoulders and raised her chin into the air. She couldn't stand these idiots and they grated on her to no end, but she would do the decent thing as she had been raised to have manners.

"Baron, Tobias, Vincent. So good to see you all", she lied.

The men all gave sufficient replies before resuming their talks with Yamcha. Bulma looked on bored until something caught her ear.

"You should join us for a drink. I'm sure little Bulma wouldn't mind", Vincent was saying, his stubby fingers reaching into his inside pocket to retrieve his cigarette case. Bulma grit her teeth. She absolutely hated when he called her that.

Before Yamcha could respond, Bulma stepped forward. "As a matter of fact, I would mind. Yamcha and I are on a date", she said looping an arm in Yamcha's but never taking her eyes off of Vincent.

The Bawdy Boys exchanged some looks. Looks that Bulma took to be poorly concealed amusement at her firm words. "My my, Yamcha, not even married and she's already making demands", Tobias piped up with a snort of laughter.

Frowning, Bulma looked up at Yamcha. It wasn't that she needed him to defend her, she could do that all by herself, but these were his friends and they had insulted her, surely he would reprimand them. But the reply he gave only made her blood boil even more.

"Tch, a drink sounds good", he said removing his arm from hers. "Bulma, I will only be a short while, I'm sure you can find something to entertain yourself with whilst I'm gone". He made a point of handing her some money in full display of his friends, who nodded and murmured their approval at his action. Bulma watched as they all left, drunkenly patting Yamcha on the back as he laughed with them. Before he was out of view, he shot her one last look, quickly mouthing, 'sorry', before he was gone.

Bulma stood in shock for a moment, her usually sharp brain trying to decipher what had actually just happened.

"Oh, that was awkward", came a voice from the first exhibit. It was the blonde.

"Shhh, Launch. That was really mean", said the blunette, nudging her sister slightly with her elbow.

Suddenly aware of all the eyes on her, Bulma snapped out of her shock and looked down at the excessive wad of cash in her hand. She frowned and moved to a box which had been placed in the very centre of the room, it was labelled ' _donations'_. Shoving the cash into the little slot at the top, she turned towards the curtain and stormed towards the exit, aware that the inhabitants were all watching her.

She didn't respond when Master Roshi called, "Thank you for the donation".

Nor did she stop when the twin named Launch shouted, "Give him hell!" followed by her unrefined laugh.

As she passed through the first room of The Hall of Wonders, she shot a look in the direction of the space pod, needing to see it one last time before she left. She would have loved to get a proper look at it, to tinker with the large object and see if it was really what they claimed it to be, but it wasn't possible. During her hasty exit she also noticed that the sleeping cat had left its perch.

Stepping back out into the lively atmosphere of the carnival, Bulma felt the cool air come into contact with her cheeks. She was sure she was flushed, as she often got when she was downright fuming. Taking a deep breath she decided she needed a cigarette. It was a habit Yamcha highly disapproved of, so she refrained from smoking when in his company.

Turning away from the hustle and bustle, Bulma headed away from the attractions and round to the back of a tent. "Just you and me, monkey", she said to the stuffed animal still clinging to her wrist, as she set off further away into the occupied clearing.

Bulma found herself wandering between the heavily decorated caravans the circus folk used as homes. The bow top wagons were spaced fairly apart, she assumed to give each occupant a degree of privacy. She marvelled at the detailed exteriors; many were ornate and gaudy, garish in colour and design. She thought they were wonderful.

Running her fingertip along the side of one, Bulma traced a swirling pattern which ran its length. As she came to the end and was about to round the corner she felt something make impact with her middle, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to fall back onto her backside.

"I'm really sorry", someone said to her as a small hand was thrust in her direction. Bulma looked up to see a small boy standing in front of her, a concerned look on his face. Taking the proffered hand Bulma was amazed when the boy effortlessly lifted her back onto her feet. She noticed his uncovered bicep flex as he lifted her, an unusual amount of muscle mass for someone so young; but she put it down to the fact that he was part of the circus and probably participated in physical training activities each day.

When she was fully righted, Bulma dusted off the back of her dress. She looked down at the boy with a smile. "It's ok", she said, there was no harm done. As she watched the boy, his brow still furrowed in concern, she noticed something strange about him. Other than the impressive muscles the boy sported, he also had an abnormal appendage. To be more specific, he had a tail.

Bulma's eyes went wide as she watched the furry limb whip about behind the boy. She fought the urge to take a step back. It wasn't that she was afraid of the boy; she was just in shock after seeing a fully functional tail on a human being.

"Gohan!" she heard a woman bark, her voice bordering on destress. She looked up to see a dark haired woman rushing forward to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. She worriedly grabbed the tip of the tail and shoved it down out of view, all the while hissing, "Wrap it now", at him in a hushed tone.

Bulma opened her mouth to apologize for something she wasn't entirely sure she had done, when the other woman shot her a nervous look before pushing the boy, named Gohan, forward to pass Bulma without another word. The dark haired woman's attention was solely focused on Gohan now as she berated him for being so careless. Bulma saw that his tail was now tucked away from view within the confines of his clothing.

Unsure of what exactly just transpired, Bulma continued walking. She passed by the caravan settlement to reach the edge of the clearing. She decided this was as good a place as any to have a quick, sneaky cigarette without Yamcha or his asinine friends stumbling upon her.

Opening her clutch, she pulled out her cigarette case, the mother of pearl enamel shining in the moonlight. Popping it open she took out a cigarette and placed it between her lips, before returning the case and rummaging through the purse for her lighter. She must have left it at home because it definitely wasn't within. Leaning her head back until she was looking up at the sky, she removed the cigarette from her mouth and exhaled loudly in frustration.

"Need a light?"

Bulma jumped and looked to her left to see a lit match extended in her direction. Quickly lighting her cigarette on the flame she gave it a drag before turning her head to the side and blowing the smoke away from her. The owner of the match lifted it to her own cigarette and lit it, before shaking her hand to extinguish the flame.

"Thanks", Bulma said looking up at Launch, who gave her an easy smile in return.

"Hi, I'm Lunch", interjected another voice as Launch's blue haired sister leant forward to peer around the blond to get a better look at Bulma. She batted her hand in the air to waft away the smoke which was coming from Launch's cigarette. "And this is Launch", she added in way of politeness.

"Hi, I'm Bulma. It's nice to meet you".

Bulma was taken aback by Launch's next words. "Let's cut the crap. What did he have to say for himself?" she asked looking pointedly at Bulma, as her sister looked on with a frown. Bulma was getting the feeling that although the twins were joined in body, they were two completely different beings in mind. Polar opposites if you will.

Realising that Launch was referring to Yamcha, she suddenly took on a dark mood. Puffing furiously on her cigarette, she fell back to lean against a tree trunk, crossing an arm over her chest. "I haven't seen him yet", she ground out, not wanting to think about the Ocha heir at the moment.

They finished their cigarettes in silence as Lunch stood beside them staring up at the stars overhead.

"Wanna come to the river with us?" Launch asked out of the blue, causing Bulma to raise an eyebrow. What was at the river that warranted going there at night?

Before she could answer Lunch piped up. "Just for the record, I'm an unwilling hostage in all of this", she said gesturing to her middle where the two women were joined.

Launch gave a snort, grabbed Bulma's hand and dragged her further into the forest. Bulma should have been worried, should have refused. But her genius status was currently in stasis, and her curiosity was at full attention.

Hearing the trickle of water in the near distance, she realised they were fast approaching the river Launch had mentioned, but before they could reach it, the twins ducked behind a bush which was on higher ground and gave the perfect view of the shallow stream below, dragging Bulma with them.

Settled in in what Bulma was assuming was a hiding place, she watched as Lunch produced a small book from her dress pocket, flipped it open and began to read, while Launch retrieved a pair of opera glasses from her own pocket and shot her a downright devilish grin. "I promise you, this will not disappoint".

They waited in silence for a while, the only audible noises being that of nature, and the faint sound of Lunch turning a page of her book. The near silence was soon disrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Launch gave a girlish squeal and looked at Bulma with wide eyes. "He's here".

Launch leant forward to peer over the top of the bush, tugging her sister with her slightly, who simply settled down again and continued to read. Bulma could tell this was a regular occurrence for the twins.

Kneeling up, Bulma joined Launch in her peeking game and her eyes widened at what she saw. Down below was a man undressing. His broad back was turned to them as he disrobed. When he was fully undressed he turned, unaware he was being watched. Bulma blushed at the sight of his manhood on full display, and shot a look at Launch who had pressed her opera glasses to her eyes and was practically drawling. She turned back as the man stepped into the stream, wading to the middle until the water reached his upper thighs. The clear water flowed leisurely downstream as the man bathed himself. So distracted by his body was Bulma, that she did not notice the man's facial abnormality very clearly on display.

She watched as he cupped both hands in the water and brought them up to wash his face. He splashed the clear liquid over his features, his eyes firmly shut as he did so. Once he had cleansed the skin, he lowered his large hands and opened his eyes, blinking away the droplets of water.

Turning to Launch again, Bulma opened her mouth and then shut it. She wasn't sure if she had just seen what she thought she had. Turning back to the man below, she gave his face another once over before speaking. "He has three eyes".

Launch held out her binoculars to Bulma and she absently took them. The magnified view of the man only confirmed what she thought she saw. The third eye was definitely there and it was very real. She passed the binoculars back when she was done with them.

Launch nodded. "Yep, that's Tien, he's our resident triclops".

"And Launch is obsessed with him", Lunch added with a smirk, not taking her eyes off of her book.

"Oh, look. Raditz is down there getting naked", Launch said turning to Bulma with a wink. Tien was still the only one bathing below, so whoever this Raditz was he was nowhere to be seen. As the words left her sister's mouth, Lunch sprang to life, snatching the binoculars and shoving her sister aside, as much she could, to get a better look. When she in fact saw no Raditz, her cheeks turned the brightest shade of red Bulma had ever seen a person go and she turned to Launch with a disapproving look.

"That wasn't very nice, Launch", she said shoving the binoculars back at her sister.

"If you didn't notice, Lunch really likes Raditz". Lunch chose that moment to whack her sister on the arm with the book she held.

Launch broke out into laughter forgetting that they were supposed to be incognito. Her bawdy laugh rang out in the otherwise silent night and Tien instantly stopped his ministrations and turned his gaze in their direction.

"Who's up there?" he called.

Lunch's eyes went wide and she tucked her book away. Launch couldn't stop sniggering. And Bulma wasn't sure what to do.

"Show yourself or I'm coming up there!" Tien added. The sound of him wading through the water towards them could be heard.

"We should leave", Lunch whispered as she started to crawl along the ground back towards the clearing, forcing her sister to do the same. Bulma followed suit and stayed low to the ground as they went. They heard the rustling of foliage behind them, no doubt coming from the bush they had previously been behind. Launch and Bulma broke into giggles and Lunch tried to refrain herself from doing the same.

When they neared the edge of the forest, they climbed to their feet and ran for the clearing, breaking out into full laughter as they broke through the line of trees. They kept moving just to be sure they weren't seen by Tien, and ended up hiding behind a caravan, peeking around its corner to see if he had followed them.

"You're a terrible influence Launch", Lunch said shaking her head and dusting off the front of her dress.

Launch snorted and turned her head towards her sister. "You wouldn't do anything fun if it wasn't for me", she said earning an eye roll from Lunch.

There were sound of footsteps were quickly approaching and all three women went on high alert. They were sure they had been found out, but when

"Master Roshi is looking for the two of you", came a voice from behind them, causing all three women to jump. They turned to see Gohan standing there and instantly relaxed. He was now dressed in pyjamas and his tail was nowhere to be seen.

He kept his eyes on the twins as he continued. "He asked me to ask you to go back to the Hall of Wonders if I saw you". Bulma gave Gohan a smile when he glanced in her direction, but he quickly looked away from her and lowered his eyes to the ground.

Launch frowned. "Looks like it's back to work for us, sis", she said walking back towards the tents. "Nice to meet you, Bulma", she added as she passed.

Lunch shot her a dazzling smile. "It was lovely to meet you. I do apologize for my sister's antics".

Bulma returned the sentiment, and laughed at Lunch's parting words. She watched as they disappeared, before turning back to Gohan who seemed conflicted on whether to say something or just leave. To her surprise he chose the former. "Maybe you should go enjoy the attractions, miss. Normal people shouldn't really be back here", he said before turning away from her and retreating.

Bulma assumed by 'normal people' the boy just meant customers. She could understand the performers not wanting the circus goers traipsing through their private space. She decided it would be best if she went to find Yamcha, and see what state The Bawdy Boys had gotten him into.

As she made her way back towards the attractions, she realised she no longer had her clutch with her. The monkey was still firmly on her wrist, but she must have dropped her bag in the forest when she had fled. Nibbling on her lip, Bulma contemplated just leaving it where it had fallen, for fear of bumping into Tien. But it contained a number of things of value, not to mention the keys to her front door. Taking a deep breath she mustered up some courage and headed back to the river, moving as silently as she could through the brush.

When she reached the spot they had been hiding in, Bulma bent down and rooted beneath the large shrub in search of her bag. She managed to find it with relative ease; it had slipped beneath, no doubt when she had knelt up to get a closer look at Tien.

Satisfied she had found what she had come looking for, Bulma stood up. Movement caught her eye below; there was someone else in the river now. Tien had obviously finished washing and left, but in his place was another man, his back turned to Bulma.

For the second time this evening, Bulma found herself seeing a man in all his glory. She was also seeing a fully functional tail for the second time today too. Protruding from the man's lower back just above his buttocks was a furry tail just like Gohan's. Bulma wasn't sure how long she had stood there staring, but her feet felt like they had melted to the ground; as when the man turned round and his eyes looked with her own she did not make a move to escape.

Bulma gave a little gasp as she stared directly into the eyes of the Illusionist. He remained still watching her with narrowed eyes and a deep frown marring his brow. He stood before her unashamed that he was on full display to her. She noticed that his tail had been lowered though, and was now hidden from view behind his well-defined body.

Bulma let her eyes rake over his form, marvelling at his defined muscles. He wasn't as tall as Tien, and although both men were heavily muscled, the man before her now was slightly bulkier is build. And where Tien had had flawless smooth skin, the Illusionist's body was riddled with scars, which gave him a rugged look.

She trailed her eyes further down his body, blushing when she came to the apex of his thighs. Bringing a hand up to cover the lower half of her face in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, she decided she had been staring for far too long, and it had gone well past being inappropriate.

Lowering her eyes she spun around and hurriedly left. She needed to find Yamcha and she needed to leave.


End file.
